


Tally Marks

by Kabooti99



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Apocalypse, Cleanliness, Cults, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Rebels, Sniper - Freeform, THEY SLEEP IN THE SAME BED, Underground society, Who is the sniper?, Zombie AU, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, angst kills me so there won't be too much of it, but can they stay alone forever?, ereri, many secrets waaaa spooky, more tags will be added with each chapter, spooky secret underground, they travel alone, who is the builder?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-06-25 15:27:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19748536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kabooti99/pseuds/Kabooti99
Summary: A mysterious underground society seems to have gone unnoticed for years. All it took was an apocalypse and some bad luck to find it. Among strict rules, an almighty ruler, and the ever looming threat of the dead, will Eren be able to uncover their secrets? Or will he vanish too?~ On Hiatus ~





	1. I Travel Alone

This neighborhood seemed like _trouble_. While most of the surrounding area had already been raided, this one looked untouched. It was a perfect replica of a 1950’s nuclear town, complete with blinding white picket fences and fake plastic barbecues.

The air tasted stale and not a single sound could be heard, as if wildlife knew to avoid this seemingly cursed place. Eren’s breathing was all that disturbed the silence, and while he was usually good at keeping his breath soft and quiet, the sight before him had him on edge. This place screamed _trap_.

He had been making his way through the nearby area, checking every possible place for food. Hunting had never been his thing, and finding food was always a problem. Most places were searched already, and he was just counting on his luck at this point.

On a normal day, the bright plastic town would have sent him running the other way immediately. But this was not a normal day. He had not eaten anything other than random edible plants he had found for two whole days. _Two whole days!_

The realization of this made him dizzy, and maybe a little loopy. Because no sane person would have begun to make his way into the little town.

Stepping over the invisible line that seemed to separate this neighborhood from the rest, he felt an increasing sense of unease. His body tensed, raising hair and sending shocks down his back.

Perhaps using his last inkling of sanity, he moved up against the nearest house and began to move toward the back yard. Walking down the open road would have been a death sentence, and Eren didn’t need any more of those.

The siding of the house was painted white to match the clean look of the rest of the area. But it wasn’t as smooth like he thought it would be. In fact, it was terribly gritty and resembled sandpaper.

Rubbing his hand across it again, he began to realize why. _There was dirt under the paint_. Scratching some off with his nail, he saw the stained surface below. It was the same as everywhere else, which means someone did this after the accident. _Strange_.

He continued his pace and rounded the corner into the back yard. It was the same as the rest, pristine. Grabbing the handle to the back door, he found it unlocked. It slid open easily, and he carefully took a step inside.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness and widened at the sight. It was filthy. Every surface was covered in what looked like a mixture of dirt, nature, and blood.

This was normal in most buildings, the wear and tear of time and people taking its toll. But not here. The outside was perfect down to the last detail, so seeing this inside was quite a shock. It also was a bad sign in terms of finding food.

There was no need to search the rest of the house, and he made his way down the line of backyards. Opening each door yielded the same result: _decay_.

Completing the row, he noticed he was at the end of a cul-de-sac. He was certain that if he went down the adjacent side of houses he would find the exact same.

Taking it all in, he realized these houses were pretty luxurious. Before the accident, this was probably a wealthy neighborhood. Expensive cars would have lined the road, and spoiled children’s laughter would have defined the vibe.

But that wasn’t what had caught Eren’s attention. He had been making his away around the backside of the house to see if there was anything out of place in front when he noticed it. _Black Marks_.

The circle shaped road in front of him wasn’t the perfect soft gray that the rest of the road beamed. It was covered in think black marks covering the entire surface. Obviously drawn with care, he noticed their neatness and uniformity. As he closed in on the display he realized what they really were. _Tally Marks_.

Numbering in the hundreds, his curiosity was skyrocketing. _What did they mean?_ This unguarded thought was enough to distract him from the approaching figure sliding out from the shadows.

“Get out.”

Eren spun around fast but controlled, he didn’t want to seem too on edge. Letting someone know you’ve been caught off guard is like losing the battle before it has even begun.  
But the sight in front of him didn’t seem like something to get too alarmed over. The man was small and at first glance didn’t seem to be carrying any weapons. Not an immediate threat.

Eren didn’t respond right away, taking his time to look over the man and search for any obvious weaknesses for if the interaction turned ugly. Other than the fact that he was shorter than average, he seemed pretty capable. His clothes were significantly baggy, but he looked well fed. Something that Eren was not; fighting this man could result in a loss solely from lack of energy.

Letting the man win this unspoken verbal war, Eren finally spoke. “I need food.”

The man’s face locked up into a slight scowl, and it was obvious he didn’t want to deal with him any longer. He began to walk away toward one the houses that Eren hadn’t had a chance to look into yet. Eren took note that he didn’t seem to care about exposing his back to him. _It would be so easy to overwhelm him_.

Out of pure desperation, Eren made up his mind to reach out at him. Not knowing what would come from it, a fight or a talk, he went to grab at his loose fitting shirt. “Wait!” Just as his fingers graced the smooth fabric, a piercing shot rang through the air.

The fake peaceful atmosphere was shattered, and the eyes of both men quickly flashed into something much stronger. _A fighter, a survivor_.

Breaking out into a sprint, the man made it to the house he was looking at earlier in what could have been record time if anyone was still around to keep records. Eren followed just behind, hoping his chances of survival would be stronger with this stranger than the one with a rifle.

“Who the hell did you bring with you?” the man whispered to Eren, visibly pissed off. Eren’s reply surprised the shorter male, not that he would ever show this given their current situation.

“No one, I travel alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you for choosing to read my story :D 
> 
> A message to my old readers --> I started this story a few months ago, but have gone back and rewrote chapters 1-4 thanks to some advice from some readers! So, if chapters 1-4 seem familiar that is why! But starting with chapter 5, all new material! Again thank you for reading!
> 
> A message to my new readers --> Thank you for clicking on my story! I hope you enjoy as the story develops! As always, please let me know if i make any mistakes or if you have any advice for me! <3


	2. Underground?

Keeping calm, the stranger slid flush against the house. Eren moved to do the same, trying to stay as calm as the man before him. He didn’t seem nervous, but his aggravation was rolling off him in waves. He could honestly almost see it.

They stayed molded to the side of the house for what seemed like an eternity, waiting to see if another shot would ring or if one of them would be shot dead. No shots had been fired in minutes, hopefully meaning they had moved out of the sniper’s field of vision.

In their current position, Eren was closer to the front of the house. He noticed that the man had moved slightly closer to him and seeing him this close had him at a loss for words.

He was breathtaking. On the rare occasion that Eren ran into another person, they were always covered in a thick layer of grime and guilt. They were either trying to kill him or steal from him, not that he had anything for them to steal other than his life.

This man was completely different. Other than the obvious fact that he was clean, he was also _fucking gorgeous_. His hair looked recently cut and framed his pale face perfectly, and his skin was perfect and he knew if he reached out to touch it, it would feel like cold silk. Not even the baggy clothes could hide his shape.

He looked strong. Strong enough to kill; strong enough to survive. Eren liked this, a lot. Strong was important, it kept you alive.

He didn’t seem to have as much muscle as Eren, but he could tell that he didn’t need it. From seeing him run earlier, he could already tell that speed was his friend. He looked completely capable of taking a person down with his bare hands.

His looks would be considered attractive to most people, but that wasn’t what Eren cared about. His strength was the most attractive feature.

A hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his train of thought, and he mentally scolded himself for being distracted at a time like this. It wasn’t like him, and he held the man staring up at him responsible.

The hand moved off as he slid in front of Eren, positioning himself closer to the front. He quickly peaked out to look at the spot they were standing at just minutes before. No sign of movement; someone was clearly playing the waiting game.

Testing a hunch, he slid down the side of the house to the ground. He softly padded the ground with his hand, feeling around for something he could throw. Never taking his eyes off the road, he found what he was looking for. A rock. He slid back up and quickly threw the rock into the middle of the circle. _Clack, Clack, Clack_.

The rock made a series of sounds as it bounced into place over the dark black marks. An even louder sound followed it, stinging their ears once again. One shot rang out, hitting the small rock perfectly and shattering it into pieces.

“Must be a really good sniper,” Eren whispered toward the man in front who was staring at the broken rock intently. The taller man found it more impressive then scary, but he could tell the other thought the opposite. Whatever emotions he was trying to hide earlier were now fully displayed and it made Eren worried.

“Not just a good one, they are probably the best” was all the man said as he moved back to the other side of Eren. He said this so confidently, almost like he knew who the sniper could be. But if he did, wasn’t that good? They could maybe talk their way out of the situation, or they could team up and attack this mystery sniper.

Eren went to ask if either of those was an option, but went he saw the man deep in thought he halted.

The man knew that the front was no longer an option, but going through the back had unknown dangers. If this person was who he thought it was, both paths of escape were bad, but what other option did they have?

“I have an idea,” the two voices said in union. The man’s face lit up in pure surprise, “Oh! You have a plan? You’re the one that led them here in the first place!” He was trying to yell while still being quiet, and honestly Eren found it kind of funny.

“Well, there’s no way your plan could be good. You don’t even have a weapon!” Eren sassed back trying to imitate the whisper yell.

The man’s eyes narrowed, and the scowl from before returned. He knew arguing would get them nowhere, and there wasn’t time in the first place.

He started to move toward the back of the house, grabbing Eren’s arm to pull him along. Eren didn’t think going toward the back was a good idea either, and was about to protest when they stopped in front of an open window. The window frame looked worn down, telling him that someone had probably used this as an entrance many times before.

“Where are we going?” Eren asked already knowing that the window was their destination, but wanting more information on the big plan this man had.

The man looked back at him, displaying a smirk that told much more than his verbal response. _“Underground.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! :D


	3. One Way In. No Way Out?

_Underground?_ That wasn’t even close to something Eren thought he was going to hear. _Underground?_ Like a basement? Wow, what a great plan, how could he not have thought of it himself.

Hiding in a basement was an awful idea! He was never one to hide, and he wasn’t planning to start now. He wanted to make a run for it at this point, and all sorts of thoughts were running through his head. One being that this guy was crazy

For all he knew, this could be an empty house with no good hiding places and this man was leading him to his untimely death.

Or, he could be in cahoots with the sniper outside. Maybe that was why he seemed to know exactly who they were. Perhaps that was the plan all along: trick him into the house by pretending to be on his side and then the sniper would come and take him out.

But to give him a little credit, the second idea seems extremely unlikely. Eren was pretty good at reading people, which has gotten him out of some pretty tricky situations. This being said, the man that was trying to pull him through the window seemed angry, and it didn’t seem fake or forced. In fact, it was the only real thing he had seen in this neighborhood since he entered earlier

In regards to the first thought though, he had no idea. He didn’t even know this man, and all the tally marks outside did seem like something a crazy person would do. But to be honest, it was way too late to act on this now. He had already been pulled through the window and into the house.

“Hey brat, stop spacing out and follow me.” _Brat?_ What a stupid thing to say, he wasn’t even a kid anymore. Assuming his calculations were correct, he had just turned 19 a few weeks ago. And there wasn’t anyone else around keeping track of time, so the time was whatever he said it was.

The name-calling pissed him off a bit, and he began to protest his obvious lack of judgment.

“You know,” he said in a childish tone that really didn’t help his case “I’m not a kid anymore.” The man didn’t seem to care and replied with a snarky “Oh yeah, says who?”

Just as Eren was about to argue back with this annoying confident man, another shot zoomed past them. The bullet found itself nestled into the frame of the window they had just come through. That was way too close for comfort.

Seeing this, the man looked at Eren with a face that basically said _I told you so_ and they continued their way into the house. The man’s grip was harsh, showing just how strong he could be under those baggy clothes and cold façade.

But this wasn’t what had Eren’s attention. The inside of this house was completely different than the other houses that he looked through earlier. It was clean. Not a speck of dirt in sight, and he swore he could still smell the amount of disinfectant and cleaner used on the floors.

The furniture had been removed, and the air seemed cleaner than any air he had breathed in years. It felt rather serene, but he knew he should stay on edge. Anything clean was clean for a reason. But he couldn’t quite think of what this reason could be.

The man wouldn’t let up on his grip, giving Eren the impression that being separated was entirely out of the question. He could have easily left him outside to die at the fate of the shooters hand, and he probably should have.

He already blamed Eren for the shooter being here, even though it was completely unwarranted, and from what he could tell this guy was kind of a loner.

So why on earth would he help him? Why was he so intent on dragging him to this maybe _real_ underground that he spoke of?

After reaching the main living room, a hallway came in to view toward the corner of the room. To Eren, it seemed completely ordinary but he saw how the man’s eyes flashed with something similar to victory once he saw it. It was obvious that this was no normal hallway.

He let go of Eren’s hand for the first time since they entered the house, and Eren couldn’t help but rub and where his grip had been. He knew it had been strong, but the mark it left burned more than he thought it would.

He began to push Eren slowly into the hallway, one hand on his shoulder to steady him. Or maybe to make sure he didn’t run away, who could tell.

It was eerie, to say the least. It made it hard to focus, which was bad because he would need all his focus to fight his way out of this situation if he needed to. He didn’t want to be led into a trap or the delusions of a crazy man.

With his free hand, the man held up some form of identification card into the air. Eren didn’t see any cameras so he was surprised when one of the panels in the wall slid open. The hiss of the door opening is something he didn’t think he would ever forget, and it made him realize that this hallway was something much more than just a spur of the moment plan to escape a sniper.

“Don’t make a sound,” the man whispered softly into his ear while tightening his grip on his shoulder. He didn’t seem as agitated as before, maybe taking some solace that they were now _safe_.

This room was as clean as the house surrounding it, but was stark white. The effect was blinding and reminded Eren of those decontamination rooms you saw in old epidemic movies.

The hissing returned and he assumed it was the door closing behind them, which was weird because Eren didn’t even remember walking in. _Eerie indeed_.

There was no trace of their disappearance, and the thought made Eren feel slightly safer. The sniper from outside would have no way of finding where they went. But it made him realize one thing: if no one could get in, he might not be able to get out.


	4. Thank the Builder

“My name is Levi”. The short statement broke the stale air, and brought Eren back into focus. Still stuck in the bright room, he spun around to look at the man who probably had just saved his life.

_Levi_. He never really cared about names before, but he definitely cared about this one. It fit him well, and he couldn’t help but like it. Eren was blinded more by the name than by the room, and he was staring at the figure in front of him. _Levi_.

Levi never liked being the center of attention and was about to scold him for staring so long. Eren saw the words forming on his lips and quickly replied with “Eren”. He didn’t feel like being called a brat for spacing out again.

He didn’t like how his voice sounded in this room, and was immediately annoyed. The air felt stale, which contrasted its crisp look. He could tell there probably wasn’t a lot of movement involved with this room, which made him all the more confused by its clean state.

All this time, he had been roughing it out in the wilderness and abandoned cities. There was no time to think about being clean, let alone actually being clean. There was only time to fight, run, hide, and if you were lucky, time to sleep and eat.

He hadn’t been very lucky, as was evident by the deep circles under his eyes and his severely thinning frame. So the idea of having time for cleanliness was absurd to him.

Trying to keep a steady voice, he said “How is this place even possible?” Levi didn’t care to give a real answer, instead just shrugging and walking forward to the door on the opposite side from where they entered.

He quickly entered some numbers into the keypad, but not without covering the side closest to Eren with his hand. It seemed that he didn’t quite trust Eren fully yet, which made sense but just made him more confused. Why even bring him here if he didn’t, for whatever reason, trust him.

The door hissed open and they walked into another set of hallways, just as clean, if not cleaner than the room they were just in.

To Eren, the hallways seemed like a maze, and the fact that Levi had any idea where he was going was pretty impressive. While living off the land had been rough, it was also rather freeing. There were no walls keeping you in, and you could go in any direction you wanted. _As long as the dead let you_.

So seeing all these blank walls put him on edge, like a caged animal being led to slaughter. He felt like he could trust Levi enough at this point to not lead him to his death, but the feeling was hard to shake.

After what felt like years, they finally reached where their destination. It was another door, basic as could be. There wasn’t even a doorknob, but a small keypad could be seen off to the right. “This is the living quarters, I’ll have to hide you in my room until I figure out what to do with you.”

This wasn’t what Eren had quite expected to hear from Levi. First because of the mention of living quarters, and second because of the mention of “do with you”.

Eren hadn’t spent a lot of time around people lately and the idea of more people living here made him quite annoyed. Like, sure he was thankful for this guy saving his life but he didn’t sign up for any more human-human interaction than necessary.

He was hoping that the second part was meant in a good way, but couldn’t quite shake that same lurking feeling that he had since they went underground.

Levi walked up to the keypad, and had to enter yet another passcode for his door. He didn’t hide his motion this time, and Eren could easily see him punch in the numbers 3,7,3,6. _These people sure loved their passcodes_.

“This is my room” he said with an authoritative tone, “Don’t fucking touch anything”. He took his shoes off immediately as they entered the room, and put them on the shoe rack next to the door. Eren noticed there was only one pair of shoes, which he thought was strange but reluctantly took his off as well. He went to put them on the shoe rack, but Levi reached his hand out to stop him.

“You can’t put those there” he mumbled out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Well where would you like me to put them?” Eren answered back. He couldn’t just throw them anywhere, they were absolutely filthy and even Eren didn’t want to mess up the pristine nature of this mysterious place.

He thought for a while, and Eren didn’t dare interrupt him. “We are going to have to get rid of them, soon”. Eren didn’t understand why, but he wasn’t happy of the idea of getting ride of his shoes. Shoes were a necessity out in the dangerous world, and without them he would be in trouble.

Unless Levi didn’t plan on letting him leave in the first place, then he was already in trouble.

Eren didn’t reply, but just set them down softly in an attempt to not get any dirt on the floor. Levi seemed pleased enough with the action and went to go lay on his bed. Settling in, he raised a hand up to his head, and sighed out with obvious anxiety.

“Eren, I’m going to be in a lot of trouble if they find out. So don’t do anything stupid, cause they will kill us both”. Even with his face covered, Eren could see his distress.

“So we escaped one killer, only to be face to face with another?”

“You got it all wrong kid, this is a killer that you don’t escape from.” Eren couldn’t help but wonder why this was a better idea than taking their chances on the outside. It was obvious that whoever was in charge here, wielded a massive amount of power. There must be something more to this, and Eren was determined to find out what.

This man who practically radiated strength didn’t think he was a match for them, and they built this place in the presence of the literal apocalypse.

He was about to argue back his concerns when a simple _knock knock knock_ thudded at the door.

Levi shot up from the bed, eyes wide with concern. Eren quickly looked around for a place to hide but there wasn’t any. There was no closet, no bathroom, and there was no way in hell that he was going to fit under the bed. Levi realized it too looked stressed.

Regardless he stood up quickly and began to walk to the door. Eren shot him a look that said _what the hell are you doing_ but he ignored it. It seemed like Levi was going to deal with this problem right then, but Eren preferred to live a little while longer.

He walked behind the door, hoping that when the door was opened the person wouldn’t come in. It was the best that he could do, and was hoping that it would work.

Levi saw his plan, and a small smile sneaked up on his face. _Smart_. He reached out to open the door, but Eren didn’t miss the absolute change on his face before he did. The small smile was ripped away, and he looked completely blank.

He opened the door, and Eren held his breath. “Ackerman, why did it take you so long to respond?” Eren thought they were caught but he could feel the ease with which Levi answered, “I was asleep”.

“We will schedule you for sleep response training again, it seems like your past training has worn off. We are here to remind you that you have your exam next week, and to drop off you training pass. Train well, and thank the Builder.”

“Thank the Builder” Levi replied with no emotion. It was hard to see him so empty, and Eren became even more curious.

With that, the person at the door left and Levi closed the door softly. He rested his head on the door, taking a deep breath. Eren stared wide-eyed at the action, wondering just what kind of place this is.

Levi looked over at him after a while, his face no longer blank. “Thanks” was all he said before he went back to the bed. _That must be a common occurrence, if he bounces back so fast_.

“I’m going to sleep, you can join if you want. Join? Now Eren was the one with the blank face. Did Levi want him to join him in his bed, or did he just mean sleep at the same time as him. Maybe he meant on the floor, but Eren didn’t see any extra pillows or blankets around. While the thought of sleeping on the floor wasn’t the worst, he had done it a multitude of times on floors much dirtier than this; he wouldn’t mind sleeping in a clean bed for once.

He was just about to ask when Levi said, “You can sleep up here if you want but your going to have to strip. Your clothes are literally disgusting”.

_Of course_. He hadn’t had a change of clothes in weeks, and Levi was right when he said they were disgusting. Eren began to take his outerwear off, which consisted of a worn leather jacket and a button up gray shirt. He took his pants off next, trying not to make it awkward for either of them. He was left in his underwear and undershirt when he slowly made his way to the bed. He sat down on the edge trying to decide what to do next.

Levi moved up next to him with a washcloth in his hand. Eren was so distracted trying not to be weird that he hadn’t even noticed that Levi had grabbed one. “Come here for a sec” he said softly next to him.

Eren moved over, and Levi brought the soft cloth to his face. He briefly washed off the more noticeable dirt, and after he was done he asked for his hands. He washed those a bit too before hiding the cloth under his pillow and laying back down.

Eren was in a state of shock and didn’t move for a moment, just watching the laying form next to him. “Don’t be weird, go to sleep” Levi said, snapping him out of it. Eren laid down on his back next to him, hands at his stomach. He tried to calm his breathing to allow himself to relax and sleep, but was finding it hard.

He wasn’t surprised when Levi noticed; “They won’t kill you in your sleep. You are safe for tonight”. At this, Eren realized why he hadn’t been able to sleep; his mind was keeping him awake to keep him alive.

Deciding to trust Levi to gain a good night of sleep, he finally relaxed and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to die any time soon, but at least if he did he would have one last good night of sleep.


	5. Secrets Told

Surprisingly, Eren had fallen asleep rather quickly after realizing he probably wouldn’t be killed in his sleep. Not only that, he slept well. For the first time in months, he woke up feeling alive.

There was no way of knowing how long he had been asleep; time was no longer a necessary concept. But if his internal clock had any sense of certainty, it was probably something close to 6 hours. _Amazing_.

Moving his arm up to rub at his hair, he noticed it was pinned down by something heavy. The room was dark, and his eyes hadn’t quite adjusted yet, so he couldn’t see the thing holding him down.

Using his free hand, he began to move the heavy item off his arm when he realized it was a person. _Oh yeah, Levi_.

_Crazy what sleep can make you forget_. Eren stopped moving the sleeping form on his arm, and just left his arm draped over his own chest. His arm was numb, but he wouldn’t dare move it. It looked like Levi needed a good nights sleep just as much as Eren did.

As his eyes adjusted, he could see his face across from him. He looked at peace, which was in great contrast from his angry anxious scowl he had most of the time. _He looked nice_ , and Eren couldn’t help but run his hand through the jet-black hair framing his face.

Before he could even react to what was happening, he had been shoved off the bed and pinned down hard to ground. Piercing eyes stared into his soul, and he could smell the cold metal from a knife being held to his throat.

Eren couldn’t speak, for fear of moving the wrong way and cutting himself on the knife. After a few seconds, Levi’s eyes widened and he pushed himself off and away from Eren. The knife had been thrown across the room, sliding to a stop in the corner.

Levi was breathing hard, and Eren sat up slowly. He didn’t want to do anything to bring back the scary presence that had just been seen in Levi’s eyes moments before.

“Eren, damn it. I’m sorry” Levi whined out between breaths, trying to catch up. “I’ve been on edge for weeks, and certainly didn’t plan on having someone touch my hair while sleeping”.

Eren went to apologize, but Levi shaking his head stopped him from saying anything. “It’s obviously not your fault, I’m just always waiting for them to finally come and take me out”.

Levi’s words didn’t surprise Eren; it seemed like something a place like this was capable of. Eren stood up, and slowly walked over to Levi curled up on himself on the ground. He offered a hand, and patiently waited for him to take it.

“Lets get some more sleep” Eren said was urging him to get up. Levi didn’t object and took the hand. Eren saw it as a sign of trust, and hoped it would give them both some peace of mind.

Sliding back in to bed, Levi faced toward the wall. Eren wanted to know what he was thinking, but also didn’t want to take away anymore-possible sleep that Levi could have.

“I’ll tell you about this place tomorrow, if you want.” His voice sounded uncertain, like maybe he thought Eren wouldn’t want to know. _As if!_

“You wont like it, I guarantee it.” He finally said before drifting off at last. Eren knew he wouldn’t be able to get anymore sleep, 6 hours already being more than he was used to.

Preferring to stay off the floor, he also wasn’t going to dare touch Levi again. _He learned his lesson_ , to say the least. But he had no objections against Levi touching him, and when he rolled back over onto Eren’s arm he had no protests.

His thoughts drifted back to the situation at hand. He really couldn’t think of a plausible reason why Levi took him down here. From the way Levi talked about this place, it didn’t seem like he would be able to do anything to help.

But then again, it seemed like Levi could leave whenever he wanted. The access to the door they came through was for sure going to be a topic to talk about. _Why did he stay?_

Or perhaps, Levi didn’t have a reason for bringing him down. His anxiety seemed to be through the roof, and maybe he just really needed someone to trust. _Why would he trust me?_

At this point, Eren trusted him. While he seemed crazy at first, he could now tell he was authentic. If he asked for help, he would give it. No questions asked.

He saved his life once; the least he could do is return the favor.

His thoughts stalled when he heard rustling coming from his side. Levi looked awake and was trying to throw the blanket off, but it had gotten quite tangled during his rest.

Eren couldn’t help but laugh at this scary man fighting with a blanket, and Levi looked up at him. He seemed angry at first but it wasn’t long before he let a soft smile grace his face.

“What’s so funny?” he said through his smile and Eren laughed a bit more. “Nothing really, just not something I thought I would see from you.”

Levi had finally gotten the blanket off and he sat up and stretched. There seemed to be less tension in his shoulders then yesterday, which Eren was happy to see. Still on the inner side of the bed, Levi gracefully rolled over Eren to step onto the floor.

Eren stilled, not expecting the action, but watched his movements with ease. He seemed unnatural and natural at the same time, like he had been born to be this perfect creature but obviously molded this way. _Truly a mystery_.

He walked over to the sink to get some water. Eren took the time to get familiar with the room. There was the bed in the corner, and small shelf to the right and a sink and counter on the opposite wall. The shoe rack by the door was the only other thing, and all he could think was _bare_.

Levi walked back over with the water, taking a drink as he walked. He offered the cup to Eren, and he took that to mean that he also only had one cup. One cup and one pair of shoes.

Eren took the cup from Levi’s small hands, and drank down the liquid like he hadn’t had a drink in weeks. The cold water felt good as it touched his tongue, and he finished it in seconds. He must have had a longing look when he handed the cup back because Levi filled it and brought it back with some tablets.

It looked similar to food supplements, and only then did Eren remember he was starving. He didn’t even ask, and took the pills with the water.

“Thank you” Eren said with a sheepish grin. When he handed the cup back this time, his fingers dwelled for a few seconds longer on Levi’s and they both stared at the connection.

Levi was the first to break the gaze, and he went to put the cup back on the counter by the sink. “Eren, what do you think this place is?” Since he was still at the counter, Eren couldn’t read his face but he could tell he was genuinely curious.

Eren took a moment to think, really think, about the place. The keypads, the rules, and the cleanliness: it all seemed like a place for protection.

“To me, it seems like a place to protect from what’s going on outside. It’s underground, completely shut off from the plague and survivors. You seem to have rules, strict rules… Am I close?”

Levi just sighed, finally turning back around. “Not really. But I can’t blame you, and in fact I wish what you thought was true”.

“This place was built a long time before the plague even became a problem. They call him the builder. He made this place a long time ago, to save us. He put people down here, and told them they were saved. And they believed him, and glorified him. It was no different than a cult, and it came with all the things that accompany it: believers and nonbelievers.”

“From what I’ve been told, there was a small group of people trying to free us from this place. But then the plague hit, and the Builder’s greatest dream came true. Total control, Total power. No one to stop his reign.”

Eren listened like his life depended on it, and he couldn’t help but feel anger toward this _builder_ for locking all these people down here.

“Generations have lived down here, and will continue to live down here. Unless someone does something about it.” He trailed off, staring at the ground, and Eren wanted to do something to show him he believed him.

“And that’s why you can’t just leave.” Eren said this as a statement instead of a question, because he didn’t need verification. He knew it was true.

Levi looked up at him, his eyes told all. _Finally a person who understands_.

He didn’t have to respond to this, but he was still grateful for it. He walked back over to the bed, and sat down next to Eren.

“There was a person here. He taught me everything I know and probably saved my life. He’s the one who knew the way out, the way we came in through. But he was an awful, selfish man. He fucking left me, left us all, here. I’ll never forgive him.”

Eren saw the pain in his words, and he completely understood. If it had been him, he would have felt the same exact way.

Levi continued slowly, “Eren, at first I didn’t know why I brought you down here. I would never purposefully subject someone to this hell, so I apologize.” Eren went to interrupt and say he didn’t care but Levi waved him off. “But there was a reason. I need your help”.

Eren would have said yes immediately, but he could tell the situation didn’t call for it. He simply stood up, held out his hand, and waited for Levi to take it. He felt the soft pressure of his hand slide into his own, and he vowed he would do anything to save him from the place. To save everyone from this place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! A new chapter! Thank you all for continuing to read this story :D I have three more chapters after this written, so I will post one of those a week! I hope to keep that schedule, but as we all know: school shows no mercy.


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